At a glance
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø works with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and other partners to build effective public health collaboration and partnerships, which strengthen the country's core public health capabilities: data and surveillance, laboratory capacity, workforce and institutions, prevention and response, innovation and research, and policy, communications, and diplomacy.
Overview
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø established an office in the Dominican Republic (DR) in 2009. ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø DR works with the Government of DR and partner organizations to detect, prevent, and control infectious disease outbreaks, and build and strengthen the country's core public health capabilities. These include data and surveillance, laboratory capacity, workforce and institutions, prevention and response, innovation and research, and policy, communications, and diplomacy. ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø’s work aims to protect the health of our nations and public health around the world.
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø DR also addresses the following public health areas:
- Global health security
- HIV
- Tuberculosis (TB)
- Emerging diseases and outbreak response
- Other public health issues, such as medical tourism
HIV and TB
Through the , ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø DR partners with the MOH to:
- Increase the number of people with HIV who receive and stay on treatment
- Improve access to HIV services for people who are harder to reach
- Strengthen HIV information and laboratory systems
- Help the DR adopt and implement international HIV policies
Key achievements
- ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø supports 21 healthcare facilities that provide HIV services across the country
- ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø helped develop an electronic HIV and TB patient information system to track individual treatment progress and outcomes
- ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø helped develop the DR's first guidelines for providing preventive therapy to people at risk of HIV
Global health security
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø's global health security program works with the DR government to help them prepare for the next pandemic. This work includes strengthening health systems to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats.
Laboratory capacity
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø's has been implemented in 25 laboratories across the DR. The SLMTA program has successfully improved the quality of laboratory services. The program is now transitioning to the DR government for continued implementation.
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø has trained laboratory staff on methods to diagnose arboviruses such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya and respiratory diseases such as COVID-19 and influenza.
Disease surveillance
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø DR helped the MOH develop the National Epidemiology Surveillance System. This electronic platform includes a laboratory component and is used for individual reporting of all notifiable diseases. ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø also helped transition the DR from weekly paper-based reporting to daily electronic reporting.
As a member of the chikungunya and dengue technical working groups, ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø provides technical expertise on surveillance protocols. ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø DR helps draft alerts and situational updates when outbreaks occur.
Workforce development
As of 2023, 760 epidemiology trainees graduated from the ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø-supported Frontline Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP). Over 190 of these graduates also completed the Intermediate FETP and over 20 also completed the Advanced FETP. These epidemiologists serve as on-the-ground disease detectives on the front lines of public health. They have helped detect, prevent, and control numerous disease outbreaks across the DR before they can become epidemics.
Additional activities
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø works closely with the MOH to respond to a broad range of infectious disease outbreaks and other health problems. This range includes cholera, chikungunya, Zika, malaria, histoplasmosis, dengue, mpox, COVID-19, infection control, and medical tourism.
COVID-19
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø DR was a leading partner in the MOH's COVID-19 response. ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø trained public health responders and helped develop daily and weekly situational updates to inform the national response. ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø provided technical expertise on emergency response, patient management, and laboratory policies. ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø also donated laboratory equipment and supplies.
Medical tourism
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø and the MOH conducted an investigation on deaths among US citizens who had cosmetic surgery in the DR. The recommendations from the investigation are being used by the U.S. State Department to alert U.S. citizens on how to reduce their risk of complications and death. The MOH is using the recommendations to improve the safety and quality of cosmetic surgery in the DR.
Infection prevention and control
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø supported the development of infection prevention and control plans for respiratory diseases, including tuberculosis, in 10 HIV clinics across the country. In 2022, ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø helped train 60 MOH staff across the country on monitoring and evaluating IPC practices.
